Coupon calendar



J, J. HUNKINS COUPON CALENDAR Filed June '7, 1965 Dec. 13, 1966 United States Patent() 3,290,812 CGUPON CALENDAR James J. Hunkins, 1210 N. Ross, Santa Ana, Calif. Filed June 7, 1965, Ser. No. 465,799

Y Claims. (Cl. 40-107) This invention relates generally to advertising devices and has more particular, reference to a novel .coupon calendar..V

y The ever increasing number of producers and merchandisers of all types, of products andservices has resulted in greatly increased competition between thosel producers and merchandisers which handlethesarne general class of goods or services.V As a consequence, increasing efforts are being made to induce prospective customers to patronize particular .merchandising and service outlets and/ or. to purchase particular products and services.

One common method of inducingsuch patronage as well as particular product and serviceselection by prospective -customers involves -the distribution, either .by house-tohouse delivery or by mail,v of coupons which may be redeemed as part payment for specied products and services. In many cases, the coupons are` limited to specified merchandisingor service outlets. Generally, coupons of this type are also limited as to the time during which they may be redeemed. A typical coupon, for example, species the date on which the coupon becomes valid as well. as the expiration date of the coupon.

While the existing coupons of the kind under discusl time, to determine the contents of each.- coupon. Moreover, the coupons possess no utilitarian value. above and beyond their redemption value. As a consequence, the coupons are frequently thrown away or are placed in a drawer and then forgotten until the redemption period has expired.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a novel coupon calendar which avoids the above noted and other disadvantages of the existing coupons of the character described.

A more specic object of the invention is to provide a coupon calendar of thev character described comprising a monthly calendar sheet which is imprinted with the name of a given month, with the calendar dates of that month, and with coupons which are located adjacent and become validV on preselected dates of the calendar sheet, and wherein further the calendar sheetis formed with closed lines of perforations which circumscribe the individual coupons in such a way as to permit each coupon to be removed while leaving the remainder of the calendar sheet and the remaining coupons intact, whereby the sheet is capable of continued use as a calendar even after removal of the last coupon.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coupon calendar of the character described wherein all of the coupons are exposed to simultaneous view, whereby the contents of each coupon may be determined at a glance.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a coupon calendar of the character described which is economical to produce, may be easily folded for mailing, and is otherwise ideally suited to its intended purpose.

With these and other objects in View, the invention ice consists in the construction and arrangement of the coupon calendar,l whereby the objects contemplated are obtained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out inthe appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. t

In these drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of the present coupon calendar;

FIGURE 2 is an` enlargement of the area encircled by the arrow 2 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a View similar to FIGURE 2 or a modified coupon calendar according to the invention.

f The coupon calendar 10 illustrated in these drawings comprises a rectangular calendar sheet 12 constructed of paper or other comparable material. The lower portion .14 of the sheet is formed with anurnber of closed lines 16 of perforations defining rectangular coupon areas 18. Coupon areas 18 are arranged in a series of spaced horizontal rows 20 extending parallel to the normally upper and lower edges of the calendar sheet 12 and in a series of spaced vertical rows 22 extending parallel to the side edges of thesheet. a

The adjacent coupon areas 18 in each of the rows 20 and 22 are spacedvin the lengthwise direction of the respective row. The end coupon areas in each row are spaced from the adjacent edges of the'calendar sheet 12.

Accordingly, there is defined between the perforated portion 14 of the calendarsheetlZ and-the edges of the sheet a continuous, unperforated margin 24. The adjacent horizontal rows 20 of coupon areas 18v define there# between a seriesl of continuous, unperforated bands 26 which extend horizontally across the coupon sheet 12 and are integrally joined'at the extremities to the side portions of the margin 24.- --The vertical rows-22 of coupon areas 18 define therebetween a series of continuous, unperforatcd bands 28 which extend vertically of the coupon sheet 12 and are integrally joined at their upper and lower extremities to the upper and lower portions of the margin 24. The bands 26 and ,l 28 are integrally joined where they cross. At this point, therefore, it is evident that any one or more of the coupon areas 18 may be removed from the calendar sheet 12 while leaving the remainder of the sheet intact.V

The horizontal bands 26 have portions 30 aligned with the vertical rows 22 of coupon Vareas 18. These band portions 30 are hereinafter referred to as calendar date areas, or simply date areas. The portions of the calendar sheet 12 directly over the coupon areas 18 in the upper horizontal row 20 of coupon areas define additional date areas 30. It will be observed, therefore, that each calendar date area 30 overlies one ofthe coupon areas 18.` For reasons which will appear presently, each coupon area 18 is associated with its respectiveoverlying date area 30./

According to the preferred practice of the invention, on face of the calendar sheet 12 is imprinted with a series of intersecting horizontal grid lines 32 and vertical grid lines 34. These grid lines deine rectangular grid areas The upper portion of the margin 24 on the illustrated coupon calendar is relatively wide and provides a space 38 to contain printed advertising.

According to the present invention, the front surface of the calendar sheet 12 is imprinted, preferably in the upper wide portion of the margin 24, with the month and year, as indicated at 42. The vertical rows or columns 22 of associated coupon areas 18 and calendar date areas 30 are seven in number and correspond to the seven days of the Week. The day corresponding to each column is imprinted over the column, as indicated at 44. The calendar dates 46 for the month printed on the calendar sheet 12 are imprinted in the calendar date areas 30, in the usual way, in such manner that the dates read consecutively from left to right in the horizontal rows or columns 20 of associated coupon areas 18 and the areas 30. Finally, the coupon areas 18 are imprinted to form coupons. For convenience, the reference numeral 18 is applied to these coupons as well as to the coupon areas. If desired, each coupon area may contain two separate coupons, as shown in FIGURE 3.

In the illustrated coupon calendar 10, each of the coupon areas is imprinted with a coupon 18. Each of the coupons 18 whose associated calendar date area 30 has imprinted therein a calendar date 46, is coded in some way to indicate that the coupon becomes valid on that date. This may be accomplished, for example, by imprinting on the coupon a date corresponding to that contained in :its associated calendar date area, as shown in FIGURE 2. In addition, each coupon may contain an expiration date after which the coupon is invalid. The remaining coupons preceding the first calendar date and following the last calendar date are bonus coupons. These bonus coupons may be coded, like the remaining coupons, to indicate the date at which the coupons become valid and the expiration day of the coupons.

The coupons 18, of course, may be printed in various ways to indicate particular products or services for which the coupons may be redeemed and/or particular merchandising and service outlets at which the coupons may be redeemed. For example, all of the coupons in one of the vertical columns 22 corresponding to one day of the week may be redeemable at one particular store or group of stores, such as grocery stores. Another vertical column of coupons may be devoted to coupons which may be redeemed at particular service stores, such as dry cleaners. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited to any particular arrangement of the coupons.

At this point, it is apparent that the calendar sheet 12 may be placed on the wall and used as a conventional calendar. When thus placed, all of the coupons 18 are exposed to simultaneous View, whereby the contents of each coupon as well as its eiective date may be determined at a glance. Thus, a housewife may easily ascertain a future date at which a particular coupon will become valid and thus mentally set aside this date for using the coupon. Each coupon 18 may obviously be removed from the calendar sheet 12 while leaving the remainder of the sheet and the remaining coupons intact. Thus, the present coupon calendar is capable of continued use as a calendar as the successive coupons are removed as well as after all of the coupons have been removed. In actual practive, the calendar sheets 12 will be distributed in groups containing, perhaps, six calendar sheets corresponding to six different consecutive months. These sheets may obviously be readily folded for house-to-house distribution or mailing.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is presently conceived to be its most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details as disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. A coupon calendar comprising:

a rectangular calendar sheet having normally upper and lower edges and side edges, one surface of said sheet being imprinted with the name of a given month and with the calendar dates of said given month, said dates being arranged in a series of iirst spaced parallel rows extenging parallel to said upper and lower sheet edges and in a series of second spaced parallel rows extending parallel to said side sheet edges, said sheet having a coupon area adjacent at least each of some of said calendar dates, each of said coupon areas being imprinted to form a coupon which is coded to indicate a redemption date on the coupon associated with the calendar date adjacent to the coupon, and said sheet having a closed line of perforations circumscribing each said coupon and spaced from the lines of perforations circumscribing the adjacent coupons, thereby to permit each coupon to be removed from said sheet while leaving the remainder of said sheet and the remaining coupons intact.

2. A coupon calendar according to claim 1 wherein:

said calendar dates are located outside of said coupon areas, whereby said calendar dates remain on said sheet after removal of said coupons, thereby to permit continued use of said calendar sheet as a calendar after removal of all of said coupons.

3. A coupon calendar comprising:

a rectangular calendar sheet having normally upper and lower edges and side edges, a lower portion of said sheet being perforated along a series of closed lines of perforations each dening and circumscribing a coupon area, said coupon areas being arranged in a series of spaced horizontal rows extending parallel to said upper and lower edges and in a series of spaced vertical rows extending parallel to said side edges, the adjacent coupons in each of said rows being spaced lengthwise of the respective row and the end coupon areas in each row being spaced from the adjacent edges of said slheet, thereby to define a continuous unperforated margin about said lower sheet portion and a series of continuous unperforated horizontal bands between the adjacent horizontal rows of coupon areas anda series of continuous unperforated Vertical bands between the adjacent vertical rows of coupon areas, said horizontal and vertical bands being integrally joined to one another where they cross and being integrally joined at their extremities to said margin, the bands extending in one direction of said sheet having portions aligned with the rows of coupon areas extending in the other direction of said sheet, said band portions dening calendar date areas each associated with an adjacent coupon area in the respective row of coupon areas extending in said latter direction of said sheet, one side of said sheet being imprinted in said margin with the name of the given month, in certain of said date areas with consecutive calendar dates of said given month, and in at least some of said coupon areas to form coupons each coded to indicate a redemption date on the respective coupon corresponding to the calendar date in the associated calendar date area, and each of said coupons being adapted to be severed from said sheet along its circumscribing line of perforations while leaving the remainder of said sheet `and the remaining coupons intact, whereby said sheet is adapted for use as a calendar after removal of all of said coupons therefrom.

4. A coupon calendar according to claim 3 wherein:

said calendar date areas are aligned with said vertical rows of coupon areas, and each said date area is situated above its associated coupon area.

5. A coupon calendar according to claim 3 wherein:

said one surface of said sheet is imprinted with a series of intersecting horizontal and vertical grid lines de ning grid areas each containing one of said calendar date areas and its associated coupon area.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 823,702 6/1906 Schwarz 283--2 6 1/ 1952 Ratner 40-107 4/ 1958 Myer 40--107 5/ 1962 Washburn 40--122 FOREIGN PATENTS 9/ 1954 France.

EUGENE R. CAPoZIo, Primary Examiner.

W. I. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COUPON CALENDAR COMPRISING: A RECTANGULAR CALENDAR SHEET HAVING NORMALLY UPPER AND LOWER EDGES AND SIDE EDGES, ONE SURFACE OF SAID SHEET BEING IMPRINTED WITH THE NAME OF A GIVEN MONTH AND WITH THE CALENDAR DATES OF SAID GIVEN MONTH, SAID DATES BEING ARRANGED IN A SERIES OF FIRST SPACED PARALLEL ROWS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID UPPER AND LOWER SHEET EDGES AND IN SERIES OF SECOND SPACED PARALLEL ROWS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID OE SIDE SHEET EDGES, AND SHEET HAVING A COUPON AREA ADJACENT AT LEAST EACH OF SOME OF SAID CALENDAR DATES, EACH OF SAID COUPON AREAS BEING IMPRINTED TO FORM A COUPON WHICH IS CODED TO INDICATE A REDEMPTION DATE ON THE COUPON ASSOCIATED WITH THE CALENDAR DATE ADJACENT TO THE COUPON, AND SAID SHEET HAVING A CLOSED LINE OF PERFORATIONS CIRCUMSCRIBING EACH SAID COUPON AND SPACED FROM THE LINES OF PERFORATIONS CIRCUMSCRIBING THE ADJACENT COUPONS, THEREBY TO PERMIT EACH COUPON TO BE REMOVED FROM SAID SHEET WHILE LEAVING THE RE- 